Stubble-digger.



No. 688,625. v Patented Dec. l0, 190|.

Q P. A. FBIBERG.

STUBBLE BIGGER.

(Appumun med. nec. 24, 1900.)

(No Mmm.) 2 sheetsfsheet 1HE' Nonms Pinus an.. PHcvouTno.. wAsHiNGron.nl c;

No. 688,625. Patented Dec. l0, 190|. C. P. A. FRlBERG.

STUBBLE BIGGER.

IApplication tiled Dec. 24, 1900.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

llo

UNITED STATES? PATENT muon.

CHARLS P. A. FRIBERG, F MOLINE, ILLINOIS.

sTUBBL'E-Dleenn.

fsPncr'FIcAToN refering part of Lettere Patent No. 688,625, datedDecember 1o, 1901. Application iiled December 24, 1900. Serial No.40,969. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom vit Amay concern.-

Be it known that I, CHAnLs P. A. FRI'BERG, 'a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Molline, county of Rock Island, State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stubble-Diggers;and I do 'herebydeclare the followin gto be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention has to do with that class of lmachines which are employedfor working over the stubbles of-sugar-cane, and the parlticula'rpurpose of the machine is to open up 'the soil around the roots of thecane, so that the sun :and air can penetrate them. l

The improvements relate specifically to the tmannerof supporting andcarrying the digger-heads and the manner of appl-ying the draft to" theteam. p

The accompanying` drawings, forming part of this specification,illustrate a machine ernbodying these improvements.

Figure l of the drawings is a Vperspective view of the complete machinefrom a point diagonally infront of the drivers seat. Fig. 2 isa sideelevation of the machine. Fig. 3 is a detail View showing the elasticdraft-tug and i-ts connection with the heads-frame.

Referring to the views, a a denote the supporting-wheels of the machine,and b b indicate the axle, which is preferably arched, as shown in Fig.l.

rlhe main or wheel frame of the machine consists of side bars c c, whichare securely bolted to the upright parts of the axle b and extendforwardly around the front part of the machine, where they are securedto the tongue in any suitable manner. Supplemental bars also extendbackwardly from the rear ends of the front bars, as best shown inFig. 1. A cross-bar c joins the side bars together at a point in frontof the axle, and a similar cross-barf unites the rear ends of the barstogether in rear of the axle. Secured at its opposite ends to thesecross-bars is an arched hood or cover h, which is secured to andsupported midway between its ends by the arched part of the axle b.

The toothed digger-heads are carried by a supplemental frame which issuspended from the main or wheel frame just described by means ofpivoted links i 't' t' t'. This supplemental frame is shaped somewhatlike the front part of the wheel-frame and is composed of side bars j j,that are brought together at their front ends. One pair of links 't' tconnects the front end of the supplemental frame with the correspondingend of the main frame, and the other pair of links it' 6o connects therear end of the supplemental frame with the main frame at a pointslightly in front of the axle. These links are pivoted at their oppositeends to the main and supplemental frames, respectively, and areparallelwith one another, so that the supplemental frame will be maintained in ahorizontal position as it rises and falls. The digger-heads are looselyjournaled upon shafts Z Z, which are secured at their opposite ends 7oin the side bars of the supplemental frame, and this frame is adapted tobe raised and lowered by means of rods m m, connected at their lowerends to lugs n on the supplemental frame and at their upper endsattached to crank-arms on a rod 0, which is adapted to be rocked bymeans of a hand-lever p, having a thumb-latch by means of which it maybelocked in any desired position into a segmentrack q. The shaft o and therack and lever 8o are mounted upon the hood'or cover h, being securelybolted thereto immediately over the arched axle b. The lower ends of therods m slide loosely through eyes in the lugs n, thereby permitting thesupplemental frame to rise 8 5 freely, but allowing it to be lifted bythe rods when the adj listing-lever is thrust forward,

as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. A coiled spring r encircles eachof the rods between an adjustable collar s secured thereon and a 9o lugon the sidebars of the supplemental frame, thus holding the frame downwith an elastic pressure which may be varied by altering the position ofthe levers.

In this class of machines the draft of the team has usually been appliedto the wheelframe. Myinvention, however, contemplates the application ofthe draft to the supplemental frame which carries the digger-heads. Thedraft of the wheel-frameis comparatively roo light, and the greatestresistance comes from the heads-frame dragging over the ground.

I therefore apply the draft directly to the point of greatestresistance, and in connection with the parallel-link arrangement,whereby the frame is suspended -from the main frame, it

tends to hold the heads down to their work.

Any suitable form of draft-tug may be employed; but I prefer theconstruction illustrated in Fig. 3, where t denotes an eyebolt, theshank of which extends through an open- Io ing in the front end of thesupplemental-frame bars j and has a coil-sprin g u encircling it betweena nut i; on its rear end and a clip w, that bears against the inner sideof the framebars j.

I5 As will be noted, more especially from Fig. 2 of the drawings, theparallel links, 'ny means of which the heads-frame is suspended from themain frame, are connected to the main frame at points considerably inadvance of 2o their` point of connection with the supplemental frame.The object of this arrangement is to give the latter a trailing action,allowing it to rise and fall freely with the inequalities of the groundand at the same time z5 causing the draft connection to hold it and thedigger-heads down to their work.

Having thus described my invention, I wish to be understood as notlimiting myself to the particular details of the frame construction 3oherein described; but

What I claim and desire to secure is 1. In a wheeled digger, thecombination with the wheel-frame extending forwardly of the axle andhaving a tongue, of a supplemenl tal frame underlying the wheel-frameand carrying the digger toothed heads, a pair of rearwardly-inclinedlinks pivotally connecting the front part of said supplemental frame tothe front part of the wheel-frame, a pair of 4o similarly-inclined linkspivotally connecting the rear part cf the supplemental frame to thecorresponding part of the wheel-frame, said pairs of links beingparallel so that the supplemental frame will be kept horizontal as it 1rises and falls, a hand lifting-lever on the wheel-frame, and a linkconnecting the hand- I .lever with the supplemental frame.

2. In a wheeled digger, the combination with the wheel-frame extendingforwardly of the axle and having a tongue, of a supplemental frameunderlying the wheel-frame and carrying the digger toothed heads, a pairof rearwardly-inclined links pivotally connecting the front part of saidsupplemental frame to the front part of the wheel-frame, a pair ofsimilarly-inclined links pivotally connecting the rear part of thesupplemental frame to the corresponding part of the wheel-frame, saidpairs of links being parallel so that the supplemental frame will bekept horizontal as it rises and falls, a hand lifting-lever on thewheel-frame, a draft connection with the supplemental frame, and aspring reacting between the two frames to keep the digger-heads down tothe ground.

3. In a wheeled digger, the combination with the wheel-frame extendingforwardly of the axle and having a tongue, of a supplemental frameunderlying the wheel-frame and carrying the digger toothed heads, a pairof 7o rearwardly-inclined links pivotally connecting the front part ofsaid supplemental frame to the front part of the wheel-frame, a pair ofsimilarly-inclined links pivotally connecting the rear part of thesupplemental frame to the In testimony whereof I affix my signature inpresence of two witnesses.

CHARLS P. A. FRIBERG.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS W. HUNT', ROBERT Fos'rnai

